The One with Lex
by justformemories
Summary: Lex is a college student, running late to class when she's transported to Middle earth and runs into a group of dwarves...what's a girl to do? Join in of course! AU, M for Language and possible other things...(It depends on my muse)
1. The start

Lex ran through the cold, empty hallway of her community college, her gym back banging into her lower back, her grey and red backpack heavy with textbooks and a paper clutched tightly in her right hand. Her left hand clenched both straps of the hanging bag and backpack to help keep them steady and not flinging further away from her body. She released the bags as she wrenched open a door at the end of the hallway to climb the stairs to the second floor. She stumbled up the stairs, cursing herself for being late to class when the term paper was due, under her breath and kept moving. She grabbed the door to the second floor and breathed a sigh of relief, she'd just make it in time. She closed her eyes for a moment and when she opened them she was no longer in her college hallway. She was surrounded by dense, murky forest.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me!" She growled, loudly. She closed her eyes tightly and shook her head.

"I knew all this working and classes would get to me, but a forest? I must have passed out!" She continued to mumble to herself as she took in her surroundings. She pressed her lips together and looked to the right then to left, considering what she should do. Move forward? Shout for help? She cocked an eyebrow up and decided the first thing she needed to do was put away her paper so she would have her hands free.

Lex lifted the strap to her gym back over her head and lowered it to the ground softly followed by her backpack. She squatted and shuffled around in her pack, pulled out a binder and slid her paper into it, sighing to herself. She had stayed up for the past few days till at least 2 am to make sure this paper was perfect and now…now it was a waste. She shuffled around again and pulled out her pink pepper spray bottle, her car keys and her cell phone. She placed the keys between her fingers (sharp points up, much like cat claws),pushed the side button of her phone to turn it back on and clutched the pepper spray in her left hand. She stood and shouldered the bags again and began to walk forward. While she walked she kept an eye on her phone. _No Signal_ blinked on and off.

"Well this is great…no service….no calls….no messages…"she continued to grumble. As she looked at her phone again she didn't notice the giant mud puddle in front of her and slipped. She flailed her arms and fell flat on her butt. Groaning, she threw herself backwards, laying on her back.

"Oh man….really?" She pinched herself, hoping that this would all go away and be dream…nope. She lifted her hand and let her curiosity make the best of her. She licked her hand. Lex sputtered and coughed, _definitely not a dream! If this was a dream I would have fallen in a puddle of chocolate._ She grunted and pulled herself up. Suddenly the sound of thudding hoofs echoed behind her. She ran to the closest bush and dove under, of course, the bush she chose to dive under was rife with thorns. She hissed as they scratched her arms, hands, face and through the fabric of her jeans. That was also when she noticed she had left her phone lying next to the mud puddle. Needless to say she was having a bad day.

A small band of people came through the darkness and were starting to ride past her when one of the riders caught sight of the blinking light on the phone.

"Please…"she whispered. "Just keep moving, leave the phone, please…" She put her hand to her mouth and bit her pointer fingers' knuckle.

"What _is _that?" A deep voice queried. He wore a dark blue hood which covered his face and dark leather riding jacket, which was open, from what she could tell. Lex sucked in a breath as she saw him dismount his horse and pick up her phone. She also noticed another rider had dismounted and had come over to him, the whole group had stopped. This man also had a deep voice, though she could just make out the rumbles as he spoke to the other person. He wore a brown hood but she saw dark blond, long, hair peeking out of the sides. His coat had thick amounts of fur around the collar that stopped at the middle where a large belt held the jacket together. The rest of the group crowded around them, Lex hung her head. _There goes my phone…_

"Eeep!" she squealed as she was dragged out from under the bush by her boot.

"Oy!" She yelled. She closed her eyes tightly as hands pulled her to a standing position and she tried to move forward against them. _I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die! _She peeked her right eye open and saw bright eyes, twinkling with amusement. She opened both eyes and looked at the man in front of her. His hat caught her eyes first, it was large, and reminded her of bat ears. Fur trimmed the bottom and she thought it was made from leather or suede. He had a large nose, bulbous toward the front and he had a mustache that was long and curled at the ends. His chin had hair and his hair poked out from under his hat like pippy longstockings pig tails. He had a comforting smile and she could tell he was a gentle sort, however that didn't stop the words from coming out of her mouth.

"Please don't rape me sir! I'm just….well…I'm" she stuttered, trying to find a better suited answer than, _I was running late to my class, closed my eyes for a moment and then found myself in this dark forest._

"Rape you?" He questioned. He lifted his eyes to the rest of the group and cocked an eye brow up. The two riders with her phone tilted their heads to the side and they all moved toward her. _Oh goody…_

Lex panicked and moved backwards from the group coming towards her. She ran directly into the man's chest, he reached forward to steady her. She felt thick wool gloves at her waist, she looked down. He wasn't trying to be fresh with her, she knew that, however at this moment she had some man's hands on her waist who she didn't know. She pushed forward and sidestepped, however another of the group was there.

"Who are you?" a regal voice question. It was laced with anger, distrust and was lacking amusement. She looked to find the person who belonged to the voice and looked straight into ice blue eyes which made a shiver trail down her spine.

"L-Lex..I'm lost…I was on my way to class, closed my eyes for a moment and suddenly I'm here." She shrugged, deciding not to lie.

"Ha! See! I'm not the only person who falls asleep during lessons!" The deep voice from the blue hooded rider boomed, it was filled with laughter.

"Kili!" The blue eyed man snapped.

"Oh please uncle…this slip of a girl can't be dangerous." The man named Kili laughed and pointed at Lex. Lex lifted the tube of pepper spray and held her finger to the top.

"I may not hurt you however you deem necessary, but I can still hurt you" she hissed. Kili looked at incredulously

"What is that" He questioned and reached for the unknown object, to him, and pulled it from Lex's grasp.

"Ek!" She squeaked again. "Give it back!" she pushed forward and kicked him square in the knee and he dropped the mace and grabbed his knee, cursing in a foreign language. The blue eyed man looked down and shook his head, the man with the brown hood struggled to hold back his laughter and helped the other man to the ground and began to look over his knee. The rest of the group? They had all fallen over laughing, tears were being wiped away and fingers pointed to the one they called Kili.

"This is why you shouldn't have come along…"The blue eyed man groused. Kili groaned in response. The brown hooded man let down his hood, stood and faced Lex. He didn't look thrilled and took a menacing step forward. Lex held her breath. He held his hand out to her.

"I apologize for my brother…he can be…a bit forward. He's just overly curious" He sighed and wiggled his hand at her again, she looked at his hand as if it was covered in warts and oozing puss. She tentatively reached forward and gingerly shook his hand.

"I'm Fili and you've had your experience with my brother, Kili." He spoke softly, gently to her as if she would spook and run away at a moment's notice. He continued to point each person out and say their name when Lex interrupted him quit loudly.

"Wait what?! You're joking…that's only a story!" she yelped. Multiple eyes looked at her, confused.

"Pardon Miss Lex?" He asked.

"You're saying that I've fallen into Middle Earth and that I've landed amongst dwarves? You have got to be joking." She dropped her head and rubbed her eyes vigorously. She looked up again and around, of course this is where she landed. She dropped her bags and pushed through the crowd and stood over Kili. He looked up at her and stuck his tongue out at her.

"Then you're with an elf or supposed to be dead" she poked him directly in the chest.

"Hey!" he smacked at her hand.

She squatted down, reached forward and pulled Kili's face directly to her and kissed him hard and fast. He stared wide eyed and remained frozen as she pulled back from him. Que more laughing. He looked at his brother as if he knew what to do, Fili shrugged. Lex rose and walked over to who she assumed was Thorin and poked him on the tip of his nose. He glared at her, arms crossed tightly over his chest and Lex swore he growled at her. She walked over to Bofur and smiled, reached her arms out wide and hugged him to her. He laughed a little and hugged her back. She turned and looked back at Fili and tilted her head to the side and smiled softly.

"You always were more manly than your brother." A snicker wound its way through the group. Fili's beard twitched but she could see the smile hiding underneath.

"I'm not sure manly is the word you would use." He chuckled. Lex's smile grew.

"So are we on a quest to take back Erebor? Fight dragons and such?" She clasped her hands together and bounced softly on her feet.

"Um…"

"No" growled Thorin. Lex's smile dropped.

"You grow a lot ya know? Someone needs an enema." She crossed her arms to match him. They glared at each other. A cough broke the silence.

"Um no…we're not on a quest of any sort really. Just looking for work." Fili offered. Lex looked at him, confused.

"Uh…ok? So has the quest not taken place? Or have you not talked to Gandalf?" The looks of confusion were starting to get annoying.

"You have no clue what I'm talking about do you?" She asked, they shook their heads no. She sighed and dropped her arms and head. "Can I at least stay with you all?" She looked up pleadingly. Fili looked toward his uncle who gave a curt shake and back to Kili who shook his head vehemently. He grinned.

"Sure"

Lex launched herself at the dwarf and hugged him tightly around the neck. They teetered backwards until Fili got his balance back. He looked forward into the smiling eyes of Bofur who was giving him thumbs up. He gently patted her back.

"Great hugs, aren't they lad?" Bofur laughed and headed back to the horses, others followed him.

"Um..Lex" he pulled her arms from around his neck. "You can ride with Kili" her face dropped. Kili shot up from the ground.

"You can't be serious!" he shouted. She had kicked him and then kissed him, he couldn't tell what this girl would do again. Lex gave a small nod and smile, gathered up her bags and the phone that was abandoned long ago and walked over to Kili.

"I promise, I'll be good." She grinned, Fili held his hand in front of his mouth to cover his chuckle. Kili sighed.

"You're a wicked one aren't you?" He questioned. Lex raised her arms and shrugged.

"First….put that bottle thing away and second…what is that blinking thing in your hand?" Lex looked down at her hands. She nodded.

"I'll put the pepper spray away and this" she shook her phone at him "this is my phone…though it's really of no use now…" She tucked the pepper spray in her front pocket. Kili eyed her phone. Fili had walked up behind them and was listening in on her explanation of the items she held.

"Phone?" They asked in unison. Lex stared at them.

"That's cute…and yes, phone. Actually it's a cell phone but I digress…it's used to call people…you know, talk to other people long or short distances away. I use it to take pictures…text…"she rattled on explaining about the phone. She stopped when they started to look bored or confused. She couldn't tell which.

"Right…Come on then…the next town is a bit away and we've wasted enough time here…" Kili walked in front of her and Fili walked behind her, she felt like a prisoner of sorts. She tried to wipe the excess mud from her hoodie and pants, she kicked her boots to get the clots off. Suddenly she was lifted into the air and was placed in a saddle. She looked around quickly, startled, gripping to the front of the saddle and a bit of the horses mane. She had been horseback riding before, but it had been years. She loved it! But this…this was different. She wasn't riding alone. She felt the saddle shift to the side a little and watched Kili pull himself into the saddle with her. He sat close behind her, pressing against the bags on her own body.

"Are you sure you're not from around here? You look like you've packed for an adventure." He smiled softly, trying to be comforting, even if he wasn't a fan of hers. Lex bit her bottom lip and tried to move her bags to her front so he could be more comfortable. He pushed in closer to her and she took a breath. His body was hard, that much she could tell even through his coat, shirt and pants.

"I was going for a run after school and didn't have my car today…"she mumbled. He looked at her, trying to piece together what she was saying. He shook his head, another time for that story. He pulled the reigns close and kicked the horse to start. Fili watched from beside them and smiled again.

He was glad to have placed the new girl with his brother, she'd be safe. Hopefully they'd be able to get some information out of her too; Kili was the curious one. Thorin rode ahead of the group and grunted about a girl riding with them. He was pleasantly surprised by Fili taking charge and understood why he had placed the girl with Kili. This girl wasn't a dwarf, obviously, she looked human but was shorter than most. Perhaps she was a cross of human and hobbit? He shrugged and they rode through the forest, every once in a while laughter would carry on the wind into his ears.


	2. The Ride

Lex and Kili rode in silence for a while. As the group had headed out there had been laughter and a general merriment feeling surrounding them. Now? Now there was nothing but deafening silence, which added to Lex's feeling of anxiety. After realizing how close she and Kili would be sitting together, she sat up straighter and pulled her bags closer to her. It wasn't that she hadn't trusted him, obviously she trusted these dwarrows well enough to ride with them, and in a strange place…Lex sighed and looked down.

"Are you ok?" A gruff voice startled her. She noticed that she had leaned into him slightly and was staring at the mane of the horse. She looked up and forward, straightening up again. Her back would ache tomorrow.

"I was just thinking…" she mumbled.

"Is that a problem for you?" He asked. She couldn't tell if he was joking or if he was serious, she was always falling for people would "troll" her as her friends would call it. It was so easy to tease her and get her riled up, though she was learning to control herself now that she was older.

"No, but the matter at hand is quite disturbing, if you must know" she replied hotly. "One moment I'm running to my class to deliver a stupid paper and the next I'm sharing a saddle with a taken dwarf, bit odd if you ask me." She huffed a little at the end of her statement, daring him to reply.

"Who is this taken dwarf you're talking about? None of us are taken, we're all right here." Lex shifted around to look into Kili's deep brown eyes, a curious gaze covering his features. She bit the inside of her bottom lip, turned away and looked down at her phone. She clicked it on to see the screensaver again and sighed. She was going to have to explain a lot of things apparently. Either that or he really was a bigger joker than she had thought.

"Taken, as in dating, in a relationship…You, particularly, are dating an elf and I feel like I'm overstepping my boundaries." She crossed her arms and stuck out her chin. A deep laugh had her sitting up further.

"An elf? Me? You have got to be joking! Oy! Fili! You 'ear that? I'm dating an elf!" He doubled over, holding his sides as he laughed, clearly unconcerned about squishing the small girl in front of him. Another boom of laughter jolted her and she hissed, unamused at the situation. She twisted around and placed both hands on Kili's broad shoulders. He looked up at her from beneath his shaggy bangs, laughing heavily, still holding his sides, a very large smile lighting up his entire face. Lex noticed he had dropped the reigns and grinned. She gave a hard shove and with a shout Kili found himself on his back on the hard forest floor. She dusted her hands and put them on her hips. Fili choked on his laughter, astonished at what had just taken place. Bofur had slid from his horse to help a coughing Kili and was doubling over laughing the whole time. Thorin had turned around in his saddle to see what the big thump had been. He glared at the girl. She glared back.

"I don't appreciate being laughed at!" She shouted. A growl came from the ground.

"I wasn't laughing at you…"he stated as sat up. "I was laughing at the thought that I would date an elf! You must be joking!" Kili stood up and brushed the dirt off of himself. Bofur continued to chuckle as he went to grab Lex's horses reigns. An intense stare down had started between Lex and Kili, no one wanted to enter the ring, but one did. Fili shook his head, smiling at his brother. He patted his shoulder and laughed.

"I don't know brother…didn't you say she-elfs weren't so bad? Something about long hair…soft skin…"a hand clapped over his mouth, another steely glare was tossed his way. Lex all but squeaked, tucking her long ponytail back into her hoodie, worried that her long hair would be noticed suddenly. Fili shot her a quick smile.

"Kili…I think you've had enough time with our guest, why don't you take my horse, I'll ride with Lex." And with that he pulled himself up behind Lex and pulled her to him. Hot flames licked up her cheeks, she was sure she was tomato red. She stared straight ahead. Fili leaned over slightly to whisper in her ear.

"I know this probably isn't comfortable for you, but it's easier to share then to have to walk behind us. No one will hurt you, but apparently you can't promise the same for us." He chuckled. "Lex, its ok to lean on me, your back is going to be sore tomorrow with how straight you're sitting." She sighed softly, barely admitting defeat to him.

"I'm sorry Kili…"she whispered, looking down, phone in her hand again. He looked up and frowned. Another thing to be added to the list of "Why I don't like Lex". He nodded and left to mount Fili's horse.

They had started moving again when Fili looked down at Lex's hands again.

"Who's that?" He nodded at Lex's phone, she had clicked on her screen saver again. She bit the inside of her lip, debating whether or she really wanted to dive into this conversation. She had no real idea of how long they had been riding, how much time had passed and except for the occasional conversations around them, she and Kili really hadn't talked. She was feeling incredibly lonely. When she felt lonely at home she would text a friend or call someone, that wasn't going to happen anymore, at least for now.

"My best friend. I hadn't been able to see her for a year, so I took a trip to visit some family and had time put aside to see her as well. We sort of grew up together. We're pretty close…" She looked down at the phone again and felt tears well up in her eyes. Fili tilted his head to the right and leaned forward a bit to get a better look at her face.

"What is it?" He asked gently.

"This isn't a dream….is it? I'm really here and I don't know if I'll ever get home again…What did I do? Did I do something wrong?" Lex sniffled and bit hard on her bottom lip. When she was young she trained herself how to cry silently. It wasn't that she had a bad childhood, but she didn't want to cry in front of anyone and be seen as weak. She bit harder and hot tears spilled over and onto her warm cheeks. Bewildered, she let a few tears fall and wiped her face with the sleeve of her hoodie.

"Hey…It's ok" He urged. "But no…I don't think this is a dream…if this was a dream I don't think you would have had your face cut up by that bush. I know I'm very real, we all are. Now…about what you did wrong…I don't think you did anything, but I don't really know you." He shrugged, not knowing how else to answer her questions.

"I'm sorry…" she mumbled.

"What are you sorry for? Did you have a choice? It's been a bit of a day for you hasn't it? We'll be at the next town soon, we'll get you a nice room and you can rest." He tried to reassure her. Lex looked at him.

"Please don't leave me!" His eyes widened in shock.

"What are you talking about? I just said we'd get you room" he had the audacity to laugh at her. She frowned. He hugged her tightly, she melted into him. Kili had looked over at his brother as soon as he heard his laughter.

"What that one brother, I think laughter sets her off!" Kili shouted. Fili hugged Lex tighter.

"If she tries to pull that move on me I'll bring her down with me!" He grinned. "Lex…you silly girl. I said you could stay with us and we won't be leaving you at the first inn we come across."

"Oh…I just figured…I….ergh…" she grunted. She sighed again and realized she was curled into Fili, if she turned just a little more she would be able to tuck her nose into his neck. Slowly, she breathed in deeply. He smelled like smoke, leather, musk and horse. Of course, the fur on his coat tickled her nose and she sneezed. She blushed and he laughed.

"Besides…I think I'd like to keep you around." He shot his brother a sly smile. Her eyes widened dramatically. "Keep Kili on his toes" This set the rest of the company into fits of laughter. If she could get redder this would be the time.


	3. The Inn

Lex sat at the edge of the bed and shuffled through her backpack. Pulling out her report, she flipped through the pages and threw it on the bed next to her. Sighing, she rubbed her hands over her eyes and yawned. They had just gotten to the inn about an hour before and with the set of rooms the dwarves had purchased she was given one, her own. She had tried to argue but they wouldn't listen, she had finally given up when Thorin shot her a commanding look. It wasn't that she didn't like the idea of staying in a room, but the others would be sharing, she didn't want special attention, she hated it in fact. While the rest of the gathering headed into the pub she had taken her bags upstairs.

"Might as well toss it…who knows if I'm ever leaving…"she sighed again and picked the paper back up and slipped in into the bag. She heaved her math book out and set it on the bedside table. She got up and moved to the next bag, her gym bag, and picked out her running shorts. Her jeans had tears and mud all over them, as did her hoodie and hell, even her face was mucky.

"Might as well get comfortable" she spoke to herself as she stripped off her clothes. Suddenly, there was a soft knock at the door. She rushed over to her bag and pulled on her shorts and left her tank top on from under her hoodie, it hadn't gotten dirty

"Just a moment!" she hollered as she splashed some water on her face. She hissed as soaped up her face to feel just a little bit cleaners. She dabbed at her face with the small towel that was next to the water jug. She jogged over to the door and tugged it open.

"Evenin' lass, comin' to dinner?" Bofur asked, smiling softly. He looked her up and down and gave her a weary look, not saying anything about her clothing.

"Oh I don't know…"a large, loud, growl came from Lex's stomach as she tried avoid having to go back downstairs and face everyone. The dwarf grinned. Lex's shoulders dropped and waved Bofur into her room. He walked in slowly and stood at the entrance.

"Did ya take a beatin' lass?" Lex looked up and quirked an eyebrow at him. He lifted her face by the chin and turned her head left and right, checking out the scratches that were much more noticeable now that there was more light and less mud.

"Wh-oh no. When I hid from ya'll I apparently picked the prickliest bushes and hid there…did a number on my clothes too" she sighed and pointed at her clothes that were piled on the floor. Bofur walked over and picked up at the pieces.

"I could fix these ya know…would that make you feel better?" Lex smiled brightly, threw out her arms and hugged him tightly. She hadn't thought the idea of her clothes being fixed would make her feel that much better; but it did. It was some of the last pieces she had of her world and they were pieces that meant the world to her. Bofur rubbed her back gently and walked over to the bed in the room, sat down and pulled a needle and thread out and began to work on her hoodie first. Another knock came on the door before she could begin to ask Bofur if he had any children of his own.

"Come in!" She shouted and Kili walked in, followed by Thorin and Fili. She huffed…apparently if she didn't go to dinner, dinner would be brought to her, or at least the company would be.

"Are we havin' a party in my room?" She grunted and walked over to the bed digging through her gym bag again. She pulled out a pair of bright purple and pink running socks that went up to her knees and pulled them on. Kili tilted his head and gave her a confused look. Fili leaned against the wall and tucked his thumbs into his large belt. They had talked a little while, while riding together, nothing much, just explaining about her best friend and how they had known each other for years. They had talked about her for a while before she shut down and started to tear up. He calmly reminded her that it was ok to grieve and that they would do what they could to help her find her way back home. She had drifted to sleep in his arms; though she questioned how she could have done that while on the back of the horse. When they had arrived at the inn it was dark and Lex complained quietly that she shouldn't have been asleep and she wouldn't sleep that night. Fili laughed and told her he had a feeling she would sleep just fine.

"What are you wearing?" Kili asked her. Lex turned to face him and looked him in the eye. He really was the curious one, but then again, none of them had seen running gear and her she was wearing her short black shorts, a white tank top. She pulled her gray pullover out and shrugged it on. She pulled her arms through and placed her thumbs in the thumb holes. She turned and faced him.

"I told you after my classes I was going to go running. I'm dressed to go running-" she was suddenly cut off by a gruff voice.

"Not here, not at night, it isn't safe" growled Thorin. She bit her bottom lip and crossed her arms over her chest, squeezing her hands into small fists.

"However" She started again, looking into Thorin's ice blue eyes as she spoke. "I figured that wouldn't be a good idea…though I haven't missed a run in a while. But these are more comfortable than torn and muddy pants and hoodies…so I changed into the only other clothes I have." Bofur chuckled and shook his head.

"Smart lass…" he chuckled again and continued his work. Kili nodded, crossing his arms again. Until his eyes caught hold of her math book sitting on the table.

"What's this?" he asked as he crossed the room and picked at her book. Lex rolled her eyes and took the book from his prying fingers. She felt a small smile twitch at her lips.

"This would be my math book…The class I was running too." She flipped through a few pages and handed it back to him. He looked down and flipped through it himself. He knew what books were, he knew what studies were but this…this was foreign to him. He knew math, but this…this was scribbles…Lex laughed as she watched him gaze through the book. Fili's interest was piqued a little and had joined his brother. Their eyes had glazed over and she would swear they were going cross eyed. She laughed louder and pulled the book from the brothers. They looked her.

"That's the same look I get when I go to class. But I'm passing, or I was…" she chuckled and put it down. "I guess it doesn't really matter anymore." She shrugged and pulled at her gym bag again, pulling out a smaller travel bag filled with her cosmetics, lotions and such. She found her face lotion and squirted out a bit and began to rub it onto her face. She hissed again as the lotion burned the cuts on her face. Fili stepped forward and looked at the cuts.

"I wish we had something to put on these, but I think we may have left that at home." He furrowed his brows. "We migh-"

"It's fine. I just cleaned them out and should be careful" Lex cut him off. He really was very protective of her and they had only known each other for a few hours. Kili snickered and another loud grumble interrupted the group again. Her cheeks burned beet red.

"I guess you're hungry as well" Kili laughed and threw his arm around her shoulders. "Come little one…let's get some food." And with that they moved down to the pub.

An ale was set in front of Lex and she peered at it carefully, as if it was a snake that would jump up and bite her.

"You drink it" Kili laughed as he took another swig of his own ale. The rest of the gathering were working on their fourth ale. There were plates of food piled in front of them, meats, cheeses (lots of cheeses) breads, jams, potatoes, very little vegetables and cakes, lots and lots of cakes. Bofur had taken it upon himself to fill up her plate for her, it was piled at least 10 inches high would food! Thick slabs of meat and chunks of cheese and bread…everywhere. She gulped loudly when he sat in front of her. Fili chuckled and Thorin frowned slightly. Something about her not being fed properly in her world, had come out from his mouth. But the first thing that had been placed in front of her was ale. She had beer and wasn't a fan. Liquor? Lex and liquor got along a bit better.

"Don't you have whiskey? Or just water?" All eyes had turned to her and were blinking. "Or not…"she shut her mouth quickly.

"They do have wine." Fili whispered in her ear. She smiled tentatively.

"No, it's ok. I might as well try this…stuff." She picked up the mug, if that's what you would call the cup like thing that she hefted in her hand. It was rough, being made with would and had iron bindings. Fili smiled and nodded her on. She lifted it to her lips and took a swig…and immediately began to cough. The table roared with laughter and many hands began smacking at the table as if they were beating a drum to make their ruckus louder.

"Ick!" she squeezed and coughed harder and reached for bread; anything really that would soak up the taste of the ale from her tongue. It was a heavy drink, like a tannic tea. She could taste barely, or wheat, or whatever they had used to make this ale. It was much too strong for her and she tried to hold her gag reflex in check. Fili handed her a piece of bread and she placed it on her tongue and began to eat it slowly.

"I take it they don't have ale where you're from? Oy! Wine…get the lady some wine!" He snapped his fingers in the air and as if he was royalty he was answered immediately. Thorin looked over at his nephew and smiled.

"Something sweeter for the lass? She's definitely not a dwarf" Lex looked pitiful. Thorin smiled a gently and she tried to smile back, however she found it difficult with bread in her mouth. Though she didn't taste the drink anymore.

"I..I didn't want to be different." It was almost as if she was pouting. Thorin smiled again.

"You did try lass, that's more than I can say for most." Lex felt comfort flowing through his words and she leaned back in her seat. Her wine came shortly after , before the barmaid could turn to leave Lex asked her for a glass of whiskey. The look the barmaid gave Lex made her shiver.

"What did I do?"

"What do ya expect lass, sittin' with royalty and all…she assumes you're the wench of the night or something. She's jealous. That and your clothes…they um" Bofur coughed, "they reveal a bit much." Lex cocked an eyebrow up and looked at him curiously. It was like a light bulb went off in her head. Her clothes reminded them of undergarments! They hugged the body and were short, no one would see stuff like this unless they were changing or being undressed by…by a lover of sorts. A small squeak escaped her mouth as she barely had time to cover it. Funny how the thought of clothes got to her but the mention of royalty…that took a few more moments to process.

"Royalty!" She yelped. She slammed back in her chair; a loud scraping sound came from the legs as she jumped from her seat. She slammed her hand on the table, the other still covering her mouth. "You've got to be joking!" She looked around the table. "Who!" She hollered. Another uproar of laughter came about. Thorin gave her a pointed look; Fili and Kili looked down and coughed softly, clearing their throats. Her hand dropped and she dropped back into her chair, completely overcome.

"I-I-I kicked you…and kissed you…and I rode on a horse with you and…"she stumbled over her words of mud and anger and she stuttered again and looked at Kili who grinned at her. Fili kept his face down and Thorin had a grin splitting his face in a "ha, see" look that told her everything. She had been rude and she had poked him in the nose!

"I'm so sorry!" She bit her lip again and rushed from the table. She climbed the stairs quickly and slammed her door open. She whirled into her room and closed the door quickly. Her actions…she could be such a jerk and she knew it. Perhaps they were keeping her around for enjoyment, her stupid antics, cause her actions were cruel and rude.

Downstairs however…

"Think it was a bit of a shock for her, eh?" Bofur laughed and slapped Fili on his back. "Don't worry…she's dealt with a lot today. She looks like she'll learn to live with it and move onward, don't worry lad." Fili kept his head down and shook his head. He could only hope Bofur was right.


	4. That Night at the Inn

Lex slammed her door shut behind her and leaned against the dark, hard wood and inhaled deeply, trying to calm herself. She had poked a king in the nose! THE NOSE! For God sakes! She had kissed Kili, kicked him and pushed him off a horse…and Fili! She shuddered as she covered her face with her cold hands and began to sob. This wasn't a dream. Oh but how she wished it was a dream…no, this was a very, very bad day. The worst! Not only had she barely gotten sleep the night before but she was late to class, though she did have her paper written, and now she was in another world! She had been covered in mud and was scratched up everywhere and now she realized she had done all those things to royalty. Lex slid down the door and hugged her knees to her chest, laying her head sideways on her knees, she sniffled. She'd be lucky if they kept her around. And now she had run from the room as if a coward. She stood slowly and walking, albeit shakily, over to the dresser that had the bathing bowl again. She looked in the mirror and saw her red rimmed eyes; all traces of her make up were gone. The bright red scratches had calmed down, not so angry anymore. She splashed the water on her face and reapplied her lotion to her face. She looked at the bed and realized her pants had been fixed. She traded her shorts for the pants and pulled her grey long-sleeved running shirt off and replaced it with her hoodie. She replaced her running shoes with her boots. She hugged herself around the middle and headed back to the door, opening it slowly and taking a deep breath.

Lex slowly walked down the stairs and into the rambunctious room. She pulled her sleeves over her hands and clenched her hands into tight fists. She couldn't be afraid, not now and not here. This place was new and no one knew her here. She could be whoever and whatever she wanted to be. She walked to the table full of dwarves and saw her seat was still empty. Bofur, Fili, and Kili stood when they noticed her. Fili's face was a full grimace; Kili had a small smile playing on his lips. Genuine concern filled Bofur's eyes.

"Are ya alright lassie? Bit of a nasty shock I take it." Bofur held out his hand and Lex took it. It reminded her of when she was at home and was curled up with her grandfather. It was pure comfort that came from him and she smiled a little, placing one of her sleeve covered hands in his. He pulled her over and sat her in her chair, next to him. Fili watched in wonder at how smoothly; quickly, Bofur had calmed you down again. He debated whether or not to move but decided against it.

"I.."she squeaked out. She blushed softly, realizing she hadn't spoken since she had practically yelled at them. She had spent a good amount of time crying too. Her voice cracked and a small squeezing pressure on her hand encouraged her.

"I apologize for how I acted today. For my actions and…and my emotions." A very serious tone had taken itself around the table, hushing all the laughter; very solemn. She bit back on her emotions now, now was not the time to let them see her as a scared girl, she doubted there would ever be a time for them to see her be weak.

"I…I've had a really bad day and you all have been so kind. I understand if you all don't want me to join you on your journey. I'm sure I can find work here, in this…ah, um…village? I believe this is a village. But please, forgive me…"She stopped there and realized all eyes were on her. She blushed redder. Thorin coughed, catching Lex's attention and he smiled. An actual, rare, Thorin smile! She practically beamed at him, though had no idea what was going on.

"Well, at least she won't push a prince of his horse anymore!" Kili shouted and laughed. He raised his ale and called for a toast. Lex stared at him.

"I'd sure as hell do it again if you deserved it!" She snapped. Kili's jaw dropped slightly and the rest of the company laughed, they cheered with their mugs and drank. Fili had continued to look down at the table. Lex turned, releasing Bofur's hand and touched Fili's softly.

"I…I shouldn't have, well…I…I don't know what to say." She gently spoke to him. Fili's fingers twitched as he moved to entwine their fingers. He smiled softly at their hands; his hands were bigger, blunt and hard, calloused from work in the forges and from training. Her hands were small, rounder, softer; she hadn't had to know the life he did. She probably didn't have to work a day in her life and for that he was almost grateful.

"There isn't much to say. I didn't choose to be a prince, but I am and I am very proud to be of the Line of Durin. I just hope you don't see me any differently." He sighed and gave a small squeeze to her hand. He leaned in close, looked up into her bright blue eyes, whispering softly.

"I believe Thorin has accepted your apology. Good thing too, I wouldn't have liked to leave you here, it can be lonely starting over. You'll stay with us. Besides, as I said before, it'll be good to keep Kili in line." Lex grinned and threw her other arm around his neck and squeezed him to her. They leaned back in their chairs and smiled contently.

"Miss" a small, feminine, voice spoke. Lex looked up slightly into the very barmaids' eyes that had begun this whole tirade. Lex frowned. The barmaid handed her another thick cup and walked away.

"What's this?" Lex asked and tilted the cup so she could see the liquid inside.

"I believe you ordered whiskey before you ran away." Thorin stated matter of factly. He placed his elbows on the table and folded his hands together. He nodded at the cup and Lex sniffed at it. It was strong, that much she could tell. She shivered slightly at the scent of hard alcohol in her hand and began to lift it to her lips. Fili pulled a piece of bread from the plate before them and placed it on her plate. Lex lowered the cup and frowned.

"What? You didn't like the ale…thought you might like something to wipe the taste away from the whiskey." He shrugged. Kili laughed and shook his head.

"Don't you all do shots?" This caught all of the dwarves attention. Curiosity killed the cat. However, even after the day she had, even she couldn't help but laugh. She also didn't realize that the cup she held in her hand wasn't a normal, single shot of whiskey. No, this cup should be used for sipping, not chugging. Lex however, wasn't paying attention…and in this world that could very well get her killed.

"You know…one, two, three…shot? Down your drinks in one go?"

"Like chugging? We chug our ale…not heard of a shot before…unless you're speaking of someone who had been hit with an arrow." Kili offered.

"Um…sure…Hold on!" With that Lex hopped up from her seat and ran to the bartender, avoiding the annoying barmaid. She spoke quickly and used her hands in her explanations. The bartender looked confused and shook his head, no quiet understanding. Finally, a few minutes later, after explaining a few more times what she needed, Lex walked back over to the table and was followed by an unhappy barmaid who placed cups at each dwarves place. Lex smiled a sinfully sweet smile and sent the lady on her way.

"Now…at home we usually make a toast and I'm pretty sure you all know what that means. So…" Lex raised her cup in the air and the others followed. "To a new adventure"

"A new companion" Fili chimed in.

"A new tradition" Kili cheered. A few other words were spoken and Lex told them to drink. And drink they did. Lex threw back her glass and chugged, small rivets of whiskey dripped about her mouth. It was about this time that Lex realized that the cup was much more than a single shot, or even a double; she shrugged. She put her cup down and sighed happily. She could feel the burn down her throat and warming her chest. She wiped her thumb over the leftover whiskey on her chin and sucked off her thumb.

"Thank goodness for whiskey!" She laughed. Cheers went up around the table and Lex reached for the wine in front of her. She had eaten very little but slowly she began to pick at the food in front of her. The merriment that had begun at the beginning of the night had begun again and she was grateful. She listened in on the stories and the jokes. Laughter was booming from all over the pub, mostly coming from their table. Slowly Lex felt her hands and arms become fuzzy. She leaned into Bofur's shoulder and sighed again, she felt very comfortable. Thorin watched her from across the table and began to chuckle. Kili turned to look at his uncle and saw what had caught his attention. Lex was squeezing closer to Bofur and cuddle into him, a few more inches and she would be in his lap. She had reached an arm out and was rubbing her hand over the fur of Fili's coat. Fili was in deep in a conversation and had barely taken notice. Lex sat up slowly, the world felt fuzzy to her and she was quite ok with that. She moved forward and tugged at Fili's arm, kissing his shoulder. That got his attention. He looked over at her and laughed.

"Are you alright?"

"Yessss…"she slurred. "Your jacket is soft…your arms are so hard. But there soft…so comfortable. My friend had arms like that…"she laid her head against his shoulder and sighed. Fili looked bewildered. He looked up into Thorin and Kili's eyes and saw them laughing heartily. Kili made a chugging sign and pointed at Lex.

"Bit too much for 'er eh?" Bofur joined in with the laughter. Fili was almost terrified. Suddenly he felt a bite on his shoulder.

"Oy!" Lex beamed up at him.

"Sorry…you looked yummy…" She giggled and hugged his arm closer.

The dwarves were beside themselves with laughter, they fell all over themselves. Sure Fili had had girls throw themselves at him, but this was different. How and why, that he couldn't figure out. He decided to try another tactic to talk to her.

"What friend?" he questioned.

"He was soldier…a marine really, but he didn't want me. He was my closest friend…"she sighed and snuggled closer, which in all honesty he didn't think was possible. Lex released his arm for a moment and pulled her wine to her and sipped at it. It was sweet and a little dry, just how she liked it. With that she climbed over and sat in Fili's lap and snuggled into his chest. She turned her head so she could nuzzle into his neck and hide her face behind her hair. Her arms wrapped around his neck and hung there loosely. She took in a deep breath and smelt the wood, smoke and leather and she relaxed. Fili watched his brother stop laughing and his uncle frown slightly. They both nodded at him and shrugged when he cast them questioningly glances, almost as if he was asking if it was ok for him to wrap his arms around her and if that was really what she needed. Fili slowly wrapped his arms around her tiny waist. Soon he felt her breath hitch and hot tears touched his neck.

"What's wrong Lex?" he whispered softly.

"I may never seem him again…or any of my friends…what do I do?" she barely whispered. Fili could barely even hear her. He hugged her tightly, pulling her closer.

"You'll live, one day at a time and maybe you'll get to go home." She sniffled. Soft lips touched his warm neck and he stiffened. Soft nibbles were placed up and down his neck and small licks took over her bites. He groaned softly and his hands tightened a little on her waist.

"Lex…" he murmured.

"hmmm…."she hummed. She kissed where his jaw met his neck and up to his ear lobe. She sucked gently on his lobe and bit softly, trailing kisses back down his neck.

Kili watched his brother and smiled a little. He shook his head. Fili was a site. He was leaned back in his chair, hair covering Lex's face but that couldn't hide the movement of her head. Fili had closed his eyes and his mouth was slightly open, he watched his hands clench onto Lex's waist. Thorin shook his head and turned away. An idea popped into Kili's mind and he began to tear little pieces of food and began to toss them at Fili. His entire goal was to get the pieces of food into Fili's mouth. Within moments he succeeded, slightly shocking Fili and throwing him off his game and not even a minute later Fili stood quickly, somehow forgetting Lex was in his lap and he dropped her onto the ground. Kili laughed so hard he fell out of his chair. Fili, bright red, leaned down to help Lex up.

"Da fuck was that for!?" She yelped.

"Kili…"and before Fili could finish the statement Lex was on her feet and about to dive for Kili. He was laughing so hard he was holding his stomach. Thorin, Bofur and the rest of the dwarves stared in amazement at what had just happened. Kili looked up and laughed even harder.

"You're face!" he pointed. "That…"he croaked out a laugh. "That was worth it!" he rolled around, kicking his legs like a child on a swing. Lex's eyes were round and livid.

"I'm gonna kick your ass Kili!" She screamed! He stopped laughing and hopped up. He grinned at her.

"Oh yeah little one?" He teased.

"Yeah!" And Lex stepped forward to move and was caught around the waist by Fili. Kili laughed mechanically and ran from the room. In one fell swoop Fili had Lex over his shoulder. She squealed and beat at his back, yelling obscene things. She kicked her legs and Fili pulled her legs down and trapped them against his chest and the top of his stomach.

"Right! So…good night uncle." He nodded and headed upstairs to plop Lex on her bed, before she tried do another stupid antic that night.


	5. The morning after

**A/N: Hey ya'll! I've been meaning to thank you all for following this story! I know its a bit slow right now and I'm not honestly sure where I am going with it. I have ideas in my head but sometimes I just can't get them typed up. I came up with Lex by chance and she seems to have danced away with my muse so we'll see how this goes. Suggestions or reviews are great, don't have too many on here! But again, thank you for reading or following, I hope you're enjoying yourself!**

Lex groaned as light intruded into her waking eyes. She squinted looking up from her pillow that she was lying face first in. It was a rather large pillow, it's cover was white and she could feel the prickle of feather ends poking at her cheek. She rolled over and cuddled further into the rough blanket.

"Morning" a gruff voice came from the corner of the room. Lex shot up, gripping the blanket close around her person. She squinted again to make out the figure in the dark corner. _Yep…not a dream…definitely not a dream._ She made out dark hair, a few silver strands would catch the small amount of light coming into the room. Lex looked at her hands which were still covered by her hoodie and released the breath she had been holding, she wasn't naked. She looked around the room again, taking it all in. Hardwood floors, a large, lumpy bed, rough covers, a bathing bowl, a chair (who someone was currently sitting in), her bags on the ground and a small dresser. She was clearly not in her room…_Really not a dream…_She kept replaying the words in her head.

"Uh…Morning…" she quavered. The figure stood up and without a doubt her eyes popped out of her head.

"Thorin! Wait…"She shook her head violently. She replayed the events of the night and the day before. How and why was the king in her room?! At least she remembered he was a king, or were they just messing with her head after she had downed that entire glass of whiskey…No…She analyzed over everything. No, they had said that before she drank and…she was mortified to remember that after she had found that out she had run from the damn dining room and up to her room, like a coward. She blushed beet red, more of a purple really. A cough took her from her thoughts.

"Di-Did I…Oh geez…I wasn't that blitzed was I?" She looked down at her hands which were now in her lap. Thorin chuckled.

"No…you weren't blitzed as you say. You do rather cling when you drink though…" A small whimper like noise came from the bed. Thorin walked over to Lex and motioned to the bed, asking for permission to sit, she nodded.

"You screamed during the night." His voice was gentle and his eyes sought hers from under the cover of her auburn hair. At this moment Lex was wondering if she would ever be pale white again, she had blushed so much in the last day and night. She looked into Thorin's bright blue eyes. She nibbled on the inside of her bottom lip.

"I'm sorry." She gulped. He nodded.

"Do you do that often? Or have the events that have occurred recently affected you thus so?" he asked. Lex thought for a moment then lifted her head. Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Did I say anything?"

"You said no a large amount of time. You also cried and clung to the nearest thing to you, which happened to be Fili's coat. Poor lad had a time leaving you, or even trying to pry himself from you. He cares about you much more than you know." Thorin crossed his arms over his chest and Lex though she could see a slight smirk cross his face. She cocked a brow up at him.

"Um…He's known me for all of a day"

"Aye, but with the kisses you treated him too" he laughed again. Lex looked horrified.

"I kissed him?!" She squeaked.

Thorin shook his head slightly. "No, but you were close…Not sure what you had in your head at the time but you started to cry a bit when you hugged his arm." Thorin's concerned look had returned.

"Crisp…"she sighed.

"Is he your…other half?" Thorin questioned bluntly. It was her turn to laugh. She tucked a long, wavy strand of hair behind her ear.

"No…No he's…or he was…not sure how to say that, but anyways. He's a good friend of mine, took care of me when I wasn't…uh…well I guess you could say. I believe I mentioned that to Fili." She chuckled again and stretched.

"No, I don't have an "other half"" she air quoted. "I was too busy with school and work and trying to travel to be able to be with someone. Besides, with a past like mine you don't want to be tied up with someone like me." She shrugged and rubbed her hands down her legs. She was still clad in her jeans, but her boots were gone. She looked up to see Thorin questioning her with his eyes.

"My nephew seems to think different."

"Your nephew shouldn't see anything, he doesn't know me and I've behaved like a slut." She was starting to become a little flustered. No one here knew here, that much was true and she had said that this was going to be like a new beginning, or at least she thought she had.

"We shall see" He stood now and headed to the door.

"Thorin?" she asked quickly. "You won't tell anyone…I mean we didn't really talk much…"

"This shall stay between us." He nodded curtly.

"Thorin?" She asked again. He turned to face her fully. "I can't stand to be seen as different…My clothes…they…I don't fit in." He crossed his arms over his chest and nodded, motioning for her to continue.

"Can you help me? I don't know how long I'll be here and if I'm traveling with you all…I don't want to bring any more attention than attention to your company." He nodded swiftly and Lex smiled softly. It was a new day and a new beginning, might as well look the part.


	6. the knife and the dragon

"What is this?" Fili asked as he turned the small yellow rectangle in hand. It was cold and had black writing on the side of it. A small bit of silver stuck out from the side. He continued to turn the object in his hands, his thumb met the end of rectangle and he pushed softly. Slowly the blade pushed forth and Fili's eyes shot open wide.

"What the…" he cocked an eyebrow up and Kili watched the blade appear further as his brother pushed it out to its full extent.

"Oy!" Lex yelped. "That would be my blade! Where-"She stopped midsentence as she noticed her duffle had emptied itself onto the floor of her room. She sighed and walked over to the mess.

"That..thing…That is your blade?" Kili squinted his eyes at the object in his brothers' hand again. "It's tiny…aw…" a chuckle rumbled through his chest and he looked towards Lex. "It's so small…that's precious, much like you." Lex turned and shot him a dirty look. Fili snorted and tried to keep a straight face.

"It's not for protection…" she knelt down and started to gather her belongings before they found something else that would confuse them.

"Aye…that's for sure" Kili laughed again. "Is it even sharp?" He reached a finger and traced it gently over the tip, nothing happened. Fili watched his brother curiously. If she was going to stay a while she'd need something better to protect herself with.

"Well…that side probably isn't. I used it a lot at work, I need to flip the blade." Both eyes watched her as she dumped her arm load onto her bed.

"Flip the blade?" they asked in unison.

"Yes. Here, I'll show you" She walked over and took the blade out of Fili's hand. She pushed the blunt end of the blade against her pant leg to close it and continued to pull it out at the other end. Fili and Kili watched in awe as now there were two pieces of cold metal in her hand. She removed the blade, which wasn't attached to anything in particular and flipped it around, slowly she slid it back into the yellow cover and pushed it back through so that both dwarves could marvel at the blade again.

"I used it to open cardboard boxes at work. I'm actually rather shocked I only have one in my bag." Lex shrugged and walked back over to the bed. Kili's curiosity was peeked and he walked over to the bed and began to dig through the items that had been placed there.

"Cardboard? What is that? What exactly did you do for work?" Fili asked, questions danced across his lips. Who would have thought that a dwarf would be so curious? Then again, a strange, futuristic female had been found in the middle of a forest, who wouldn't have questions. Lex sighed. It had been a few days and she didn't like to face the fact that she wasn't home and had decided to put it all in the past instead of panicking.

"It's…um…well…" she struggled to find the words. Who would have thought she would need to explain cardboard.

"Well, one job I walked dogs and another I sold items for households. You know, to decorate them. We catered mostly to women" a snort across the room caught Lex off guard, but she continued. "I would open the boxes things came in and put them on the floor…you, know, like stocking shelves."

Fili nodded softly, understanding her a little bit more now. Kili however, was confused.

"You walked dogs? Don't they really walk themselves?" Lex shrugged.

"Where I'm from people have many types of animals as pets. My family had two dogs, four cats and a dragon." Lex mused as the last word had the dwarves dropping their jaws.

"Dr-Dragon?!" They exclaimed. She chuckled and walked to the bedside table to pull out her phone. Turning it on she slid through the pictures she had available to her.

"Yes…a bearded dragon, see?" She held up her phone to show them. "He's not so bad. I feel for him, poor guy." Kili dropped to the bed, completely defeated, shock written all over his face. Fili stared and then he was looking between the picture and Lex's face.

"You…You feel for him? How?" Lex realized that this was going to probably be one of the most interesting conversations in her life. The poor dwarves looked as though she had sprouted another head. She could understand a little bit though; here, dragons weren't small, they were huge and some could actually breathe fire. Her little dragon at home just crawled around, these, these didn't. These owned where ever they stepped, stomping things into the ground, eating what they wanted, destroying whatever got in their way. At least that's what she expected.

"Well…he's small, maybe the size…"she stretched her arm out and pointed from the tip of her middle finger to her elbow; "he's not big and he eats vegetables and maybe grasshoppers. He doesn't breathe fire or fly…" both eyes looked like they were slowly returning to normal. Lex turned her phone screen off and sighed.

"I probably shouldn't have mentioned it."

"Oh you were fine lass, you had a small farm going then you mentioned a damn dragon living in your home…no one was afraid of him?" It was Kili that had finally spoken up. Fili nodded slowly, agreeing with his brother. Lex shrugged again.

"No need to be…we could have cut his head off with a butcher knife if needed." Their eyes grew wide again. They turned and faced each other and grinned.

"Uncle will never believe this!" And with that they chased each other out of the room, boots banging loudly on the hard wooden floor.


End file.
